New York City... what a place. Before I begin I would like you to know that I was planning to take lots of pictures while I was there, buuuut that didn't actually happen. The photo above is one of four pictures I took. All of the same subject. And it's not even that good of a picture. Sigh, it's an unfortunate truth, I know... I have no good excuse. Let's all hope that someday I will learn from my mistakes.
One of the most intriguing things that stuck out to me about New York City is all the people. People, people, and more people. Think about it. Not only are there people on the street with you, there are people in the buildings above you AND on the subway beneath you. Incredible. If you ever feel like the world is small, go to NYC; you will immediately feel like a very, very small fish in a gargantuan ocean. And not only are there a lot of people, they are from all over the world. Walking down the street you can hear people speaking innumerable different languages. Imagining who these people are, where they came from, and what brought them to NYC is a fun, mind-boggling pastime. It would be so interesting to just sit in Times Square and talk to people as they pass by, asking them questions. If I were an outgoing person, I think I would enjoy doing something like that for hours.
After spending just two days in the City, I realized it is crowded, fast-paced, smelly, overwhelming, and hot. But... it is also diverse, vibrant, entertaining, and full of endless things to do. Everything we did this past weekend offered only a small taste of what NYC has to offer. And we only went to Manhattan! Manhattan is only one part, of one city, in one county... how amazing is that? Seeing how much there is to experience in just this one place makes it hard to comprehend just how incredible this world of ours really is. Good grief, I wish I could go traveling as much as my mind wanders...
My goal for this fun two-day weekend was to see and do as much as possible in the time I had. It was just my dad and I who went; my mom finds NYC undesirable, to say the least. That said, dad and I caught our train from Albany at 6:55am and were checked into our hotel and ready to hit the streets by 10. Before we left, I had been working on a very specific, planned-out agenda for our trip. I had a list of where we would go and when we would be there. What can I say? I'm a planner. It's who I am. It's what I do. I like it.
Let me sum up for you here everything we experienced in NYC: International Center of Photography, Grand Central Station, Ess-A-Bagel, Ground Zero, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, Katz's Deli, Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, Times Square, Top of The Rock, Central Park, American Museum of Natural History, Jamba Juice, Lion King on Broadway, The New York City Public Library, and Chipotle. From my calculations, we walked around 10 miles going from place to place. That may or may not sound like a lot, but I do know for sure that my feet were telling me it was a lot. However, I definitely enjoyed everything we did while we were there so it was well worth it.
Highlights:
- Elliot Erwitt's gallery at the ICP was wonderful... definitely a talented photographer. I loved his sense of humor.
- Getting a FRESH bagel from Ess-A-Bagel was a delicious treat. I must say though, it's not like bagels will never be the same to me anymore. While having a fresh one was yummy, so is a regular store-bought bagel. I mean, come on... it's like doughnuts. A fresh doughnut is delightful, but a regular doughnut is still a doughnut.
- Taking a tour through the Ellis Island museum was educational yet fun, thanks to our tour guide who, I'm pretty sure, was running on about 7 cups of coffee. Or maybe it was espresso. In any case, there's nothing quite like like a happy, hyper people-person to liven up your day. And speaking of the tour, until Ellis Island I had heard people pronounce "tour" as "tore" and "too-ur"... but then... it happened. I heard a woman next to me say "turr." Whaaa?? Has anyone else ever heard this before?
- A real, honest-to-goodness pastrami sandwich is pretty tasty. Katz's serves it up right.
- The view from Top of The Rock (Empire State observatory deck alternative) was absolutely lovely. The ride up in the party elevator wasn't too bad either. However, standing at edge of an 850-foot building made me have serious doubts about bungee jumping 700 feet in South Africa. If just thinking about it turns my knees to jello, I'm not so convinced I'll be able to actually do it. I guess we'll see in time!
- The public library is amazing. Especially all the decorated ceilings!
- Phantom of The Opera and The Lion King were both unbelievably astounding, and I can't bring myself to choose a favorite. It is now official that I am addicted to Broadway and want to go back and see as many shows as I can. Don't ask me where I'm going to get the money; I have no clue. Just let me dream, ok??
It was exciting to pick up on little connections to South Africa while watching The Lion King. Two such things were the fact that some of the actors were from there, and the lyrics to one of the Broadway songs contained the word "mamela," a Sotho word meaning "listen." Nearly all of the African language in the show is Zulu, so I was very surprised (but delighted) to hear a random Sotho word thrown in there! After seeing the show, I left the theater with a head full of what might be the best soundtrack ever and a renewed excitement to be studying abroad in South Africa this fall. It's difficult for me to fully grasp the fact that soon I will be in a completely different culture, experiencing things I never knew before, but it's easy for me to look forward to it.
To top everything off, I will leave you with this exciting news bit: I FINISHED THE BRICK! Wow, for some time there I was pretty sure I'd never make it. I'd like to say now that it's over I don't have to worry about it anymore, but I still have that paper to write. Better get on that. Maybe I'll be able to get some of it done in between working roughly 47 hours this coming week. That's assuming I don't die from exhaustion.
'Til next time! Toodles!
Countdown to take-off: 31 days (*gulp*)
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